Thank you for the music: 11 benefits for our health & well-being

Have you noticed that the music you want to listen to differs depending on the circumstances?  For example:

• Going on a power walk or a run – fast paced, energizing music
• Feeling stressed – quiet, relaxing music or perhaps you prefer upbeat
• Broken relationship – love songs, usually about break ups where you can indulge in a little self compassion, have a cry and let it all out (most likely while eating ice-cream and/or chocolate)! 
• Happy – upbeat music
• Sad – slower, moving songs
• Angry – darker music

We tend to listen to music that reflects our mood.  Sometimes though, listening to music can affect our emotions and moods.  In fact, music can actually benefit our health and well-being as a whole!  Here’s 11 benefits of music for our emotions, mood & general health and well-being:

1. Memories – A certain song can transport us back to a certain time, a certain place, and even sometimes to a particular moment with a certain person.  We can even feel the emotions that we felt at that time.  A song can take us back to a period in our life – a year level at school, the year one of our kids were born, or the year when a big event happened – like the death of Princess Diana, for example.
2. Productive – Listening to music can help some people to be happier and more productive at work, especially if it is music of their choice.
3. Stress Relief – Listening and playing music reduces chronic stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
4. Improve Confidence – Music can make you feel more hopeful, powerful, and in control of your life.
5. Healing – Listening to sad music has benefits too.  If you’re going through a tough time, listening to sad music is cathartic.  It can help you get in touch with your emotions to help you heal.
6. Learning – Music can help you to learn!  Music in schools helps children improve language development.  Music therapists use music to actively support people as they strive to improve their health, functioning and well-being.
7. Performance – Music can get you in the right mood for peak performance, be it for an athletic activity, the performing arts, or even an exam.
8. Emotion – Music can make us cry and it can make us laugh, that is the power it has over us!
9. Mood – Music has the ability to lift our mood when we are sad.  Ever found yourself unwittingly tapping your foot to the beat of some music or nodding your head along to a rhythm?  On the flip side, the overpowering feelings of sadness and melancholy that you can get when listening to some songs are amplified because they resonate with your feelings. Sometimes this is more meaningful to your growth or understanding than happy songs.
10. Social – Music is often a social activity, making it together can help bring us together and give us much joy. Singing in a choir for example is a popular activity as is general singalongs with a guitar or singing together around a camp fire!
11. Health – Music is good for our health!  It improves our visual and verbal skills; keeps an aging brain healthy; makes us happier; can help to stabilise our heartbeat, pulse rate and blood pressure; improves sleep quality; boosts your immune system; reduces pain; and reduces Depression & Anxiety.

I personally have a strong affinity for music.  I’ve always enjoyed singing.  When I was a child, I longed to be a member of the Young Talent Time team.  I envied those American kids that were members of the Mickey Mouse Club.  I used to do some singing as a young adult and took it up again as a member of a group of Mums and Dads (when the kids were little) who got together regularly to rehearse and we sang at some parties.  I used to learn the piano as a child and I taught myself how to play the guitar.  I’ve always, always loved listening to music and really enjoy watching live music!  These days, I just sing around home, sometimes tinkle on the piano and haven’t touched the guitar in many years!  One thing I have done to indulge my love of music lately is to introduce Music Monday’s over on the blog’s Facebook page.  It’s on every Monday and I post 2-3 You Tube video’s throughout the day of songs I like and write a little bit of info about them.  It’s a bit of fun and great to revisit songs that bring back some fab memories! 🙂

I’ll finalise by saying THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC!  Music is a wonderful gift for us all.  I really couldn’t imagine a world without it.  Speaking of ‘thank you for the music’ I couldn’t possibly say those words and not include the fabulous ABBA song of the same name now could I?!  Enjoy!

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything – Plato

Do you love music too?  Have you got a favourite song or a song that you love for the memories that it brings back to you?  Ever been in a choir or done some singing?

Ciao for now,

Linking up with Kylie Purtell for #IBOT